This one came from the New York Times, highlighted by a photograph of a woman lost in a sea of parked bikes in the garage outside Amsterdam Centraal.

I don’t see bicycles as a big issue. I’ve learned to look both ways crossing bike paths and feel more pushed around by motor scooters. Finding a slot on the racks and worrying about having one stolen are my biggest concerns.

MP Jan Vos writes that the Dutch should return to doing what they do best: Earning Money. In particular, foster entrepreneurship and creative innovation to find sustainable energy solutions. His argument is both historical and global and utterly oversimplified.

Historian Daniel Bell writes thoughtfully on the links between economic and political power, and better analyzes the tensions between business and government. He goes further to suggest a solution: What if democratically elected representatives were chosen from economic rather than geographic blocks? Imagine a Tweede Kamer made up of elected representatives of business, labor, social and cultural groups. Would that promote transparency, eliminate lobbying?

Nederlanders leiden steeds soberder leven, but not in a good way. More materialistic, less open, and more interested in violence according to a survey. The authors attribute it to the effects of financial austerity; I hope that Dutch tolerance and optimism aren’t fleeing the country.

No, not that Bill Nye. This is Bill Nye The Science Guy, an American engineer and TV-Science geek who turned up on the local late-night comedy show Almost Live in Seattle in the 80’s. With the kids, we became fond of his knowledge and his shtick.

I hadn’t thought of him in years, but heard the other day that a conservative radio talk show host had excoriated him on the air for his support of climate change. When contacted, Bill said that “When Rush Limbaugh says I'm not a scientist, I'm charmed”. It was a classy comment, and made me go back and look up what he’s doing today. ‘